Oklahoma Advances to Big 12 Championship Game With Win at West Virginia
Oklahoma's football team put up huge offensive numbers and the Sooners' defense scored twice to beat West Virginia 59-56 at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia, on Friday night.
The OU win advances the Sooners to the Big 12 Championship Game to face Texas next Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The two teams combined for 1,372 yards, with West Virginia outgaining OU 704-668.
OU quarterback Kyler Murray was 20 of 27 passing for 364 yards and three touchdowns, plus ran for 114 yards on 9 carries and a score.
West Virginia quarterback Will Grier was 32 of 49 for 539 yards passing and 4 touchdowns, but had two critical fumbles, both returned for touchdowns by the Sooners' defense, and that turned out to be the difference.
The two teams both scored on their first two possessions.
West Virginia got the ball first and marched 75 yards in nine plays, with Will Grier passing deep to David Sills for a 41-yard touchdown to give the Mountaineers a 7-0 lead with 10:09 to play in the first quarter.
Sills had 8 catches for 131 yards and two touchdowns.
Oklahoma responded with an 81-yard drive in seven plays with another big play to score as Kyler Murray ran for a 55-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7-7 with 7:19 to play in the first quarter.
West Virginia regained the lead with a 7-yard touchdown run by Martell Pettaway to cap a 10-play, 75-yard drive, and it was 14-7 Mountaineers with 3:51 to play in the first quarter.
Oklahoma's ensuing possession resulted in another score, with Murray finding Marquise Brown over the middle for a 25-yard touchdown to cap a 7-play, 72-yard drive to tie the game at 14 with 1:31 to play in the first quarter.
Brown had 11 catches for 243 yards and two scores.
West Virginia's next possession ended short of a score.
After an apparent touchdown pass to Gary Jennings was nullified by a penalty, Grier threw incomplete on 4th and 6 and Oklahoma took over on their own 10-yard line.
The Sooners were driving to try to take the lead, but Murray fumbled and Kenny Robinson recovered for WVU on their own 22-yard line.
Oklahoma's defense forced a punt after a 3-and-out, then took just two plays to take the lead.
Murray threw deep to Marquise Brown for a 65-yard gain to the WVU 1-yard line.
Trey Sermon scored on a plunge into the end zone on the next play and OU led 21-14 with 7:12 to play in the first half.
West Virginia tied it up on the ensuing possesion, going 75 yards in seven plays, with Grier passing to a leaping Sills for a 10-yard touchdown to tie the game at 21-21 with 4:14 to play in the second quarter.
It took OU just two plays to answer, with Kennedy Brooks scoring on a 68-yard touchdown run to make it 28-21 with 3:30 to play in the first half.
Brooks had 182 yards rushing on 21 carries.
The Oklahoma defense made their first big play on the next possession, with Caleb Kelly sacking Grier, causing a fumble, scooping it up and returning it 10 yards for a touchdown and a 35-21 Sooners lead with 3:06 to play in the first half.
West Virginia ate up most of the rest of the half and scored on a one-yard touchdown run by Kennedy McKoy to cut OU's lead to 35-28 with 18 seconds left in the first half.
The game's momentum changed on the first two possessions of the second half.
OU got the ball to start the half, but Murray had a pass intercepted in the end zone by Robinson for a touchback.
WVU then went 80 yards in five plays, with Grier going deep to Gary Jennings for a 57-yard touchdown to tie the game at 35-35 with 10:32 to play in the third quarter.
Oklahoma had to settle for a 37-yard field goal on their next possession to take a 38-35 lead with 5:52 left in the third quarter.
West Virginia then went 75 yards in 11 plays, with Grier scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run to give the Mountaineers a 42-38 lead with 1:52 left in the third quarter.
Oklahoma bounced right back when Murray passed to Brown, who eluded several tacklers on his way to a 45-yard touchdown and the Sooners led 45-42 with 35 seconds left in the third quarter.
West Virginia responded with a 75-yard touchdown pass from Grier to Jennings to regain the lead 49-45 with 17 seconds left in the third quarter.
Jennings had 225 yards receiving on 7 catches and two touchdowns.
Oklahoma went 80 yards in nine plays to re-take the lead early in the 4th quarter, with Murray throwing to a wide open Grant Calcaterra for a 2-yard touchdown to go back up 52-49 with 11:19 to play.
West Virginia was trying to regain the lead when Kenneth Mann sacked Grier and caused a fumble, which was scooped up by Curtis Bolton and returned 48 yards for a touchdown and OU led 59-49 with 9:58 to play.
West Virginia got a stop on defense, then went 80 yards in nine plays, with Pettaway scoring on a 17-yard touchdown run to cut OU's lead to 59-56 with 4:20 to play.
The Mountaineers attempted an onside kick, but OU recovered.
Facing a 4th and 5 at the West Virginia 40-yard line, Murray found CeeDee Lamb for a gain of eight yards to get a first down.
A Murray scramble for 17 clinched the win and OU's second chance against Texas.
OU has never lost to West Virginia since the Mountaineers joined the Big 12, going 7-0.
The Sooners improved to 11-1 overall, and they finish Big 12 play 8-1.
Oklahoma will face Texas for the second time in a season for the first time ever.
The game will be the first OU-Texas matchup not played in Dallas since 1923 when the Longhorns hosted in Austin.
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